For more than a decade, the solar industry has rightfully focused on one objective: driving down the price of solar energy to make it an affordable, mainstream option for residents and businesses. In many ways, the industry has succeeded beyond any reasonable expectation. In 2011 the U.S. Department of Energy launched the SunShot Initiative to reduce the cost of utility-scale solar to $1 per watt by 2020. Though many viewed the objective as more aspirational than practical at the time, it was achieved three years early.
